


She Stops Believing

by heartequals (savvygambols)



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Gen, Implied Child Abuse, Kidfic, in that they're kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-23
Updated: 2010-06-23
Packaged: 2018-01-15 08:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1297792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvygambols/pseuds/heartequals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the middle of the kitchen, Samantha stops believing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Stops Believing

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ineffort's lady fest 2010.

Samantha is making peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. It is just her and Jeff. Father had a meeting early morning and did not speak when he left, even though he knew she was awake. She knows how to do things by herself though. Father is always leaving, which is just fine with Samantha. 

“Put bananas on mine?” Jeff says. He hip-checks her slightly, grinning when she falls off balance. “Please?”

“Get me a banana,” she says, stepping on his toes.

He dances out of her way when she waves her peanut-butter-knife at him. “Where?” He's in a good mood. Probably he finished all his homework. Or maybe he is also happy that Father has gone too.

“Check the fridge, creep,” she says. Samantha has not finished all her homework, and she won't.

“Shut up, buttmunch,” he says. “Oh, there aren't any. Shit.”

Buttmuch, she thinks. Buttmunch. What a stupid name. Jeff is such a buttmunch.

A half-memory, like her dreams, hits her all of a sudden. It is something her brother says, but the face of her brother does not match the face of Jeff's. Her brother is not Jeff, no, not Jeff, never Jeff. She stares at him. Experimentally, and with great fear, she says,“You're not my brother.”

“What?” he says. He closes the door and looks around at her, confused. “What?”

Samantha grins. Her fear is gone because he is not her brother. This is not her real family, which means this is not real, which means--“You're not my brother.”

“You're so stupid,” he says. 

“Well, you aren't my brother,” she says. 

“Whatever, Sammy,” Jeff says, crossing his arms. He looks hurt and afraid. “Are you going to finish the stupid sandwiches or what?”

Samantha thinks that his fear is dumb. She reaches out and flicks his elbow. “I know where Father keeps some money for emergencies,” she says, “Let's get pizza.”


End file.
